United States: The Department of State in the United States has identified five divisions within the Israeli armed forces accountable for egregious breaches of human rights in individual occurrences, yet affirms their continued receipt of military support from the US.
All the aforementioned instances transpired outside of Gaza prior to the ongoing conflict.
Israel undertook corrective measures within four divisions, furnishing “additional elucidation” regarding the fifth, according to the department’s statement.
Consequently, all divisions maintain eligibility for US military aid.
Washington stands as the principal patron of Israel’s military, furnishing weaponry and defense systems valued at USD 3.8 billion (£3 billion) annually, according to BBC News.
This proclamation marks the inaugural determination of its kind for any Israeli division by the US administration.
Vedant Patel, spokesperson for the State Department, disclosed that five security forces divisions perpetrated egregious human rights transgressions.
“Four of these divisions have effectively redressed these transgressions, aligning with our expectations for partners,” he remarked.
“As for the remaining division, ongoing consultations and dialogues persist with the Israeli government; they have provided additional insights pertaining to that division,” he supplemented.
The department refutes assertions of yielding to political pressure by sustaining military aid to the division despite an inability to ascertain accountability in the matter.
“We are actively engaging with them in a procedural dialogue, and a conclusive decision concerning that division will be made upon the completion of said process,” Mr Patel affirmed, as mentioned by BBC News.

All occurrences are believed to have unfolded in the occupied territories of the West Bank and Jerusalem in recent times.
Under the “Leahy Law” of the United States, introduced in 1997 by then-Senator Patrick Leahy, a determination that a foreign military division committed egregious human rights violations warrants the potential cessation of US military aid.
The US administration designates torture, extrajudicial execution, enforced disappearance, and sexual assault as such violations under the Leahy law.
Even with such a determination, there exists an exemption from halting military assistance if the State Department is content with the resolution of cases and pursuit of justice by the concerned government.
It asserts that Israel did engage in such resolution – termed “redress” – within four of the five divisions. Nonetheless, the department declined to disclose any specifics regarding the incidents, remedial measures, involved divisions, or evidence substantiating the effectiveness of the remediation, as per BBC.
Reports suggest that the US was on the verge of announcing a cessation of military aid to the fifth division but has postponed a decision due to new information from Israel.
The division in question is widely speculated to be the Netzah Yehuda battalion, an exclusive male unit established in 1999 catering to ultra-Orthodox Jews.
Israel conducted an inquiry into the battalion following the death of 80-year-old Palestinian-American Omar Assad, who perished subsequent to being restrained and silenced by soldiers during a search operation in a West Bank village in 2022.
At the time, the US called for a “comprehensive criminal investigation and full accountability.”
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) subsequently expressed regret over Mr. Assad’s demise, announcing disciplinary action against a commander and the barring of two soldiers from senior positions for two years – albeit without prosecution.
In response to inquiries about reports indicating that an IDF unit would become the first ever to face a US government designation under the Leahy Law, Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated on 19 April, “I have made determinations. You can anticipate their disclosure in the forthcoming days,” BBC reported.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to vehemently oppose any sanctions on the country’s military, asserting his intent to “resist it vigorously,” while Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and war cabinet minister Benny Gantz engaged in discussions with Mr. Blinken over the phone.

When pressed by the BBC on Monday regarding whether the State Department had postponed or softened its stance on withdrawing military aid to the fifth division, Mr. Patel reiterated that a decision would be reached upon the conclusion of consultations with the Israeli government.